September Favorites (Just a Little Late) + Life Update
Hello! It’s been a while, huh? If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen me drop cryptic Stories about “focusing on my health” and whatnot. So many of you have been so kind to check in, literal strangers reaching out to make sure I’m okay after weeks of silence. Yes friends, I’m okay, but to say that the last two-ish months have been emotionally and physically difficult would be an understatement.
Not to get into my personal medical files, a quick rundown of what’s been happening because I believe in not hiding the hardship in case it helps someone else feel less alone. About two months ago, I did the idiotic thing of hopping on top of a bench to, eh, deal with a creepy crawler. Stepping backwards off the bench without looking, I stepped on a ceramic planter that was on the ground and went tumbling. From there, weeks of horrific sciatica pain took over, making it essentially impossible to do anything for myself besides lay in bed and writhe in pain. Tons of pills and several chiropractic appointments later, I was starting to feel like I was making progress. Than, from one second to the next, my arms and legs became immensely heavy. It felt like I was constantly walking and moving through thick pudding. Off I went to the ER a few days after when the sensations kept getting worse. No luck being told what was going on there, which led to doctor appointments with my regular doctor, then to a specialist and now…I wait.
I’m currently in the waiting period before I can get some tests in the coming weeks where your mind wanders, spirals, panic sets in. Most days are spent in bed feeling like sandbags have been thrown on my body. Walking around alleviates some of the weight, but basically, I’ve been a stranger in my own body. Sometimes my hands lock up and it’s hard for me to type or do much. Guys, this has been HARD. Not knowing is hard. Waiting is hard. I have never in my life been more sympathetic to people who deal with illness, both mental and physical.
The days where I feel most down are the hardest days. Today, I feel mentally strong, which makes whatever is going on in my body feel a little bit more tolerable. If you are reading this and are dealing with any health issues of your own, I know how tiresome and lonely it can feel. I’m so blessed to have Charles here with me, and my family and friends calling and texting constantly. Even then, surrounded by so much love, I have moments where I feel so alone, trapped in my traitor of a body. If you’re going through something hard, please know that I’m always around. Even as a stranger, if you need someone to talk to, about your hardship, about fun things, about design, about whatever, reach out. Please.
So that’s the gist of my life currently. I’ve been so bummed to miss out on blogging, to fall short on projects I’ve promised to people, to have to back away from exciting opportunities. But I understand that my well being is most important. Without that, I have almost nothing. For now, I’m going to try to get out at least one blog post a week, on Sundays, and scale back from the previous 2x posts a week I used to do. When things become clearer or better, I promise to do more!
ANYWAY, if you’ve made it this far, I’m going to reward you with some “monthly” favorites from September…a few weeks late. Here are seven things that got me through the past few weeks:
[Disclaimer: There are a few affiliate links below. I get paid a commission if you purchase through my link, which does not cost you any extra!]
ColorReader EZ (sponsored!): I recently partnered with this company and wrote up a post about this game-changing design tool over on my Instagram. Basically, it’s a small little gadget with a corresponding app that lets you scan ANYTHING (though flat surfaces are most accurate) to pull paint colors from. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been somewhere, saw a color (whether on a wall or even packaging or art) and thought DANGIT WHAT HUE IS THAT AND I WANT IT FOR MY WALLS?!? This little baby makes this possible! As you might know, I’ve been on the hunt for my bedroom paint color, and I’ve narrowed it down to thanks to the ColorReader EZ and a piece of art that had the perfect fleshy peach as a backdrop. Through October 15 (that’s this Thursday!), use code “ARLYN” for 15% off (it comes to about $50 with the discount code). Designers and design enthusiasts everywhere, you need this in your go-bag, promise.
Tramp Ceramics: Back in the Arlyn Says newsletter days, I wrote about my friend Sara Ligorria-Tramp’s beautiful, incredibly affordable ceramics. At the time, she was selling through Instagram, but this weekend she launched her online shop and almost everything sold out instantly. (SARA YOUR STUFF IS TOO AFFORDABLE, CHARGE MORE). Anyway, make sure to bookmark her page and follow her on Instagram to know when her next drop will be. It’s good stuff, I’m telling you (oh and she ships!).
Missoma Coin Necklace: Coin necklaces are a new accessory obsession of mine and after some hunting, I found Missoma that had quality jewelry without costing an insane amount. This necklace isn’t exactly “budget” but I did get it on sale during Labor Day and I LOVE IT. I’m bookmarking some other pieces to see what goes on sale over Black Friday!
Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins: I’ve been doing this thing recently where I’m saving a ton of recipes for when I feel well enough to cook again. I make these pumpkin muffins every year around this time so thought I’d share! Pumpkin puree pulls much of the weight here, limiting the need for tons of oil and sugar. They’re dense and decadent (I always add extra chocolate chippies) and wonderful.
Everytable: Like I said, the stove hasn’t seen much action lately in the Hernandez-Shaw household so I’ve been on the hunt for affordable, delicious pre-made meal delivery because take out was getting $$$$. We’ve been getting meals from this local company and it’s been great! The food is good, the options are nutritious, the price is AMAZING, and I love what they stand for (they provide discounted food options to areas around Los Angeles that are food deserts).
Top Chef on Hulu: With so much time in bed, I’ve had A LOT of screen time. Thank goodness for Top Chef and its 17 seasons. I never watched this, which makes no sense because I love both competition shows and food shows, so…a food competition show = DUH! I’ve zoomed through 7 seasons so far and don’t know what I’m going to do when I finish. I’M OBSESSED.
Pill organizer: Here is something completely unsexy, but it’s helped SO much. I’ve always been a horrendous daily vitamin/pill taker. It doesn’t matter if I put them on my nightstand, by the coffee machine, in the bathroom…I will not remember to take things. But for some reason, organizing everything in a pill organizer flips a switch in my brain that makes it so much easier. The double-sided one I got is for AM and PM, but now I use it for organizing vitamins for both Charles and me.
And that’s all friends! It was a long one today so thanks for hanging in there. I’ll do my best to stick to at least weekly Sunday postings. I’m going to try to proceed with my bedroom makeover when I have good days because spending all this time horizontal in my bed would maybe be a little less bland without these greige walls and the corner of doom.
‘Til next time. 👋